Mulch. Just do it.

[tynody]

I haven't been able to go through this whole thread yet (68 pages is a bit difficult to go through for me) and I was wondering if anyone has compiled a list of acceptable mulches, both dead and living?

It seems like people have suggested Straw, Cedar chips, and possible just fallen leaves from nearby trees? Living it seems like clover is the go to?

I have been using a top layer of coco coir on my plants recently which has seemed to help keep the soil below it moist longer but it seems to blow away easily in the wind/oscillating fan which isn't acceptable indoors or out.

Because i'm new to mulching and organics it would be really beneficial for someone to compile a list of acceptable mulching materials.

 

[Former Guest]

this is the only big thread I've read through. Filled with gems of info and was a real pleasure to read. No squabbling

and an amazing discussion.

 

[Luther Burbank]

Tynody, just about any woody broken down material makes good mulch. I use a mix of home-chipped material, but even pine needles will work. It's all about making a physical barrier to keep the biologically all-important couple inches on top moist and active. I do not believe in living mulches for container plants although many here do. My personal objection has to do with things like clover/legumes not adding N back to the soil until it's cut and tilled in, which is an oft-cited reason to use it, and the fact that a dead mulch does the same job without concern of nutrients going to other plants. The benefit:convenience ratio doesn't cut it for me.

 

[Former Guest]

Trying my question over here, I was reading about dead mulching and wanted to use leaf litter and eventually comfrey leaves I have outside in a large container up on a bench where it won't get into the ground fed with well composted chicken manure from my chickens. I see a lot of talk about living mulches and it sounds great but I have some questions. if I have a thick canopy where it is very shaded underneath, would it be more beneficial in my situation to use the leaf litter and comfrey leaves? In the thread a poster said the shady areas were causing his chamomile or some flower to stretch and not perform like it would if light was good. I will have a thick canopy so I thought I would ask if any others had this issue.

I would like to use top dressings so how well does that work with a living mulch? would I have to weed a spot to put my dressing down? I'm at the beginning stages and at a crossroad. between dead and living mulches. thank you

 

[Avinash.miles]

surface of my soil, just beneath the mulch...
fresh white ROOTS all the way to the surface of the soil

 

[Former Guest]

Looks pretty alive to me Avinash. Don't know why so many prefer the living mulch? I kinda lean towards Luthers comment. But I like the idea of a clover meadow tilling with the roots is nice but I will have worms to do that. Tough choice for me.

 

[Bud Green]

There's LOTS of good info in this thread, but some of you are OVER-THINKING it....

Remember the name of this thread---"Mulch. Just do it."

If you are working outdoors you have nothing to lose and everything to gain
and you would have to do something RIDICULOUSLY stupid to fuck up your garden by mulching...

 

[Mikell]

I like the painted stuff from Wal-mart.

Sometimes you can mix and match for a festive appearance.

 

[xmobotx]

^ what?

ladyluckybean

basically; a living mulch generates a dead mulch if you chop 'n drop. the 2 aren't mutually exclusive from the start, it's kind of labor intensive to mulch around your sprouts. somewhere in there is the gray area of using something like EWC for a mulch which you could germ your {live mulch} seeds in

i know, EWC is kind of marginally between a soil & a mulch but i like to use EWC to mix w/ the botanical "dead" mulch stuff {like dynamic accumulators}

 

[Former Guest]

Thanks xmobtx! I didn't see to many posts about using leaf litter but many used leaf mold. Is there a reason people don't use the litter to decompose on top of the container?

 

[xmobotx]

it hasn't been too long since i saw someone using leaf litter as container mulch. i may have broke it up a little rather than having clumps myself. i don't have any experience as i compost the leaves i get. if i knew for sure i had leaves free of any herbicide or pesticide i might be more likely to try it

 

[Baked Alaskan]

I've had great results using mulch indoors. The first time i tried it was with hydroton a friend gave me, worked great with a thick mat of feeder roots showing tips when the mulch was moved. I used about 2 inches.

The second time was with leaves and grass from the forest floor, also to great results.

Not growing now and i miss it greatly.

 

[Former Guest]

I live in woods that hasn't been disturbed by anyone. no one walks on the forest floor under the trees since my family has owned it in the 70s. so I can collect composted wood? everyone says forest duff but what exactly is duff? I want to collect the right stuff and not just assume. **I looked it up. lol

thanks guys!! super appreciate it!

 

[Bud Green]

LLB,, I live totally surrounded by the woods also...

Go into the woods with a wheelbarrow and shovel..The dead trees on the ground, that have totally rotted down to brown or black, soil-like material: shovel it up and put it in your garden..

Rake up dead oak leaves in a pile and run over them with your lawnmower until they're all chopped up into small peices...
Then, just mulch with it...

Indoors is a different thing becuase you might introduce bad bugs into your room, but outdoors,, JUST DO IT...

 

[bigshrimp]

The biggest problem with mulch for me has been the fungal run and subsequent fungus gnat infestation. New mulch especially seems to attract them quite a bit. My oldest no till (10gal 3rd round) does not attract them as much.

Don't get me wrong i like mushrooms but dont really feel like they have much direct benefit to indoor growing.

I've been using some old straw, basically solo. Last round i added some ewc to the top, not even realizing that i was basically casing a mycelial mass. Well they fruited for sure and the gnats loved it.

So, i'm looking into more diverse mulch composition to inhibit fungal runs. I'm thinking straw, rice hulls, deciduous leaves, char bits, and a little bit of pine needles. I think the diversity of ingredients will prevent one (decomposer) fungal species from becoming dominant.

any thoughts?

 

[Mikell]

Couldn't agree more. The more diverse the mixture, the better result I've had. The only exception would be coir, it appears to function as intended.

 

[xmobotx]

bigshrimp,

don;t you use neem seed meal?

 

[bigshrimp]

^ yeah - Neem was never really a KO vs gnats for me.

 

[xmobotx]

strange, i got them from some coco once & a top-dress w/ DTE NSM eliminated them immediately

are you saying "neem seed meal" when you say "neem" because where the DTE product worked w/ extreme prejudice, the ahimsa is supposed to be more pungent yet

 

[Mikell]

Always had "meh" results from top dressing neem and using the CC neem tea recipe for FG. Frequent applications created wild swings in substrate pH.

I've been on Dunks/Bits ever since.